Friday, December 04, 2015

A huge gathering took place at Husain Tekri Sharif in Jaora town in Central India.

Muslims, especially, Shias, from all over the world, descended here to observe Chehallum.

The Chehallum rituals are held 40 days after Muharram--the 10th of Ashura that signifies martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Husain and his family members at Karbala.

Husain Tekri is a famous shrine in Jaora town that is located in Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh.

Jaora was a princely state in pre-independent India, ruled by a Nawab. This year, nearly 3,00,000 people participated in the rituals. The devout from all corners of the country, camp here in open spaces, stay in hotels, lodges and the guest houses.

The arrangements are held on a large-scale. The events are organised on an area spread over 100 bighas. The devotees pay obeisance at the 'rauzas' of Imam Ali and Imam Husain, amongst other shrines.

The unique aspect that tens of thousands of people walk on embers [burning coal]. There is a large number of pilgirms from outside the country who arrive here, stay for days, attending the rituals.

Though Chehallum is observed in places with strong Shia population like Lucknow and Hyderabad in India, the gathering in Jaora is among the biggest in the country. A large number of Sunnis and Hindus also attend it.

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